Riding toy

ABSTRACT

A rocking toy upon which a child is seated and rocking motion of the body produces a combination of forward movement and oscillation about an axis. The seat is connected to a pair of supports carried on the inner diameter of two wheels for rolling movement with respect to the wheels. Ratchet and pawl mechanisms are selectively engageable to allow rolling movement of the supports on the wheels in one direction and to lock the supports to transmit motion to the wheels in the other direction. Optionally, the supports and wheels may be locked during rocking movement in both directions, whereby the wheels rock without relative movement therewith of the supports, or either support may be selectively locked to its respective wheel to produce circular motion.

United States Patent Hagen et al.

July 8, 1975 {5 7] ABSTRACT A rocking toy upon which a child is seated and rocking motion of the body produces a combination of forward movement and oscillation about an axis. The seat is connected to a pair of supports carried on the inner diameter of two wheels for rolling movement with respect to the wheels. Ratchet and pawl mechanisms are selectively engageable to allow rolling movement of the supports on the wheels in one direction and to lock the supports to transmit motion to the wheels in the other direction. Optionally, the supports and wheels may be locked during rocking movement in both directions, whereby the wheels rock without relative movement therewith of the supports, or either support may be selectively locked to its respective wheel to produce circular motion.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEU L 1975 RIDING TOY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to toys of the rocking horse type and, more specifically, to a toy which a child may ride with only rocking motion or combined rocking and forward motion, either linear or circular.

The classical rocking horse toy is mounted on arcuate rockers for reciprocating rocking motion in response to back and forth movement of a child seated thereon. Some riding toys have been designed to provide forward movement in response to back and forth or up and down movement of the body. The sensation of motion on an actual vehicle or animal is generally conveyed in this manner while retaining the degree of safety necessary in a childs toy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel riding toy of the rocking horse type which provides a variety of motions to the rider while remaining safe for the smallest of children.

A further object is to provide a riding toy which may oscillate about an axis or rock with a forward and back motion, at the riders option.

A further object is to provide a riding toy which incrementally moves forward in response to rocking movement of the riders body.

A still further object is to provide a riding toy which optionally may be made to move in a circular path by incremental forward movement of only one of a pair of wheels, or to move incrementally forward in a linear path, as the rider rocks back and forth upon the toy.

Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the foregoing objects, the invention provides a seat, in the nature of a toy horse, mounted on a horizontal member connected to two supports having arcuate surfaces. The supports are mounted on wheels having an outer periphery resting on the floor or ground, and a concentric inner periphery upon which the arcuate surfaces of the supports are mounted with appropriate bearing means therebetween to allow relative rotation of the wheels and supports.

A ratchet and pawl mechanism is provided between each respective pair of wheels and supports to allow restraint in one direction of relative movement between the wheels and supports. This may provide forward motion of the toy by rolling the wheels as the supports are rocked in the forward direction and allowing the supports to move relative to the wheels when rocked backwards. Mechanism is also disclosed for optionally locking either or both pawls in both directions of rotation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. I is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a toy embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view, with a portion in section on the line 3-3 of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, as in FIG. 2, with an element removed to show more clearly other details of construction;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, plan view showing a modi tied form of the toy;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, partly in section on the line 66 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, front view, partly in section on the line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The preferred embodiment of the invention includes seat 10, normally in a horizontal position at a height suitable for mounting by a small child. Handles 12 are positioned to be grasped by a child seated on seat I0, and may extend from a support in the form of a simulated horses head 14. Seat I0 is attached by vertical support 16 to horizontal member 18 which may conveniently serve as a foot support for a child mounted on seat 10.

Horizontal member 18 is attached at its ends to a pair of arcuate support members, each generally indicated by reference numeral 20. Support members 20 serve to connect seat 10 to a pair of wheels 22, preferably having a radius greater than the height of seat I0 above the surface upon which wheels 22 rest. Wheels 22 are identical in construction, each being open at the center to accommodate arcuate supports 20. Thus, each of wheels 22 includes outer periphery 24 which rests upon the floor or ground, and inner periphery 26.

Means are provided to permit rolling contact of arcuate supports 20 upon inner peripheries 26 of wheels 22. Referring to the sectioned portion of FIG. 3, arcuate supports 22 are formed in two like halves 30 and 32, each having an inwardly facing recess to accommodate widened inner rim 34 of wheels 22. Bearing means, such as illustrated ball bearings 36, are retained between the arcuate surfaces of supports 20 and inner periphery 26 of wheels 22 to allow rolling movement of the arcuate supports relative to the wheels.

Support halves 30 and 32 are joined together by any convenient means, such as rivets or bolts 38 which may also be used to secure upstanding end portions 40 of horizontal support 18 to inner halves 32 of each of arcuate supports 20. No portions of wheels 22 are actually contacted by supports 20, the arcuate surfaces thereof being spaced from inner periphery 26 by bearings 36, and the opposing surfaces of the two halves being so formed that when joined in the manner shown, there is sufficient clearance to prevent frictional contact of such surfaces and rim 34 or other parts of the wheels. Thus, rocking movement, or forward and backward shifting of the weight of a child mounted on seat 10 will cause supports 20 to roll reciprocally upon inner peripheries 26 of wheels 22. The motion imparted by the child's body may also be translated to rolling motion of wheels 22 to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the manner in which the child shifts his weight. Thus, a combination of rocking and rolling movement may be achieved which is to some extent controllable by the rider.

Also shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 is a ratchet and pawl mechanism for imparting all, or primarily, forward rolling movement to wheels 22, with backward movement being primarily limited to rotation about the axis of the wheel produced by rolling movement of supports 20 upon inner peripheries 26 of wheels 22. Flanges or rims 42 are formed integrally with or fixedly attached to wheels 22 and, in the illustrated form, have an outer periphery coextensive with or forming a portion of outer peripheries 24 of the wheels. Rims 42 are provided on their inner peripheries with a succession of teeth 44, all inclined in the same direction to form a ratchet.

Pawls 46, one of which is shown in FIG. 2, are pivotally connected at 48 to outer halves 30 of arcuate supports 20. As seat I is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, supports 20 may roll upon inner peripheries 26 of wheels 22, with pawl 46 dropping by gravity (or spring loading, if desired) into each of the grooves between 44 as it is rotated with support 20. When the direction of rotation of seat I0 is reversed, pawl 46 remains engaged in the last groove between teeth 44 into which it has dropped. Rotation of seat in a clockwise direction (i.e., with head 14 mov ing downward) will cause wheels 22 to roll in a forward direction, due to the engagement of pawl 46 in teeth 44 associated with the wheels. Thus, as head 14 is moved upward and rearward, arcuate supports roll upon inner peripheries 26 of wheels 22, with little or no rolling movement of the wheels; as head I4 is moved for ward and downward, such movement is transmitted directly to forward rolling movement of wheels 22. Thus, the toy may be intermittently propelled in a forward direction by rocking motion of the rider.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7, certain additional elements are employed to provide still further options of the type of motion obtained from the toy. A fragment of seat 10, upright support I6, horizontal support I8, and one of wheels 22 are shown, each being the same as in the previously described embodiment. A pair of foot pedals are provided, one on each side of and pivotally attached to horizontal support 18. One of the pedals and associated mechanism is shown in FIGS. 5-7, it being understood that identical mecha nism is provided on the opposite side of the toy.

Pedal 50 is pivotally connected by pin 52 to fixed brackets 54 on a forward edge of horizontal support 18. Rigid connecting rod 56 extends between the end of pedal 50 remote from the pivotal mounting thereof and arm 58. The latter forms one arm of a crank which also includes pivot rod 60 and arm 62. An appropriate opening is provided in support halves 30 and 32 for rotatable mounting of pivot rod 60 and rotation is transmitted therethrough between arms 58 and 62.

Spring 64 serves to bias arm 58 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6. The biasing force is transmitted through rod 56 to pedal 50, and through rod 60 to arm 62. Pressure by the riders foot on pedal effects clockwise rotation thereof, against the biasing force of spring 64, which is transmitted through rod 56 to the crank. Arm 62 is positioned in a cut-out or recess in support half 30, as seen in FIG. 6, which serves to limit rotational movement of both the crank and pedal 50 in both directions. Rotation of pedal 50 in a clockwise direction thus will move arm 62 from the position denoted by reference numeral 62' to that denoted 62" in FIG. 6. in the latter position the end of arm 62 blocks movement of pawl 46 out of the groove between teeth 44 in which it is then engagedv Therefore, rocking movement of seat 10 will be transmitted directly to forward and backward rolling movement of wheels 22 since there can be no relative movement of the wheels and arcuate supports 20 with pawl 46 locked with respect to teeth 44.

As a still further feature, latch 66, or similar means may be provided for holding pawl 46 out of contact with teeth 44 in both directions of rotation of supports 20. That is, it may sometimes be desirable that rocking motion of seat I0 be limited entirely to oscillation about the axis of wheels 22, with no rolling of the wheels upon the supporting surface. Pin 68 extends fixedly from pawl 46 for engagement by latch 66, which is pivotally attached to support half 30. An appropriate recess may be provided in the edge of support half 30, as shown, to accept pawl 46 when engaged by latch 66. Pawl 46 is rotated manually, with arm 62 in the position indicated by 62 in FIG. 6, until pin 68 is engaged by latch 66, thus preventing the pawl from engaging the ratchet formed by teeth 44. Wheels 22 may be blocked in position, if desired, to insure that no rolling movement is imparted thereto. It should also be noted that the pawl on only one side may be held out of contact with the ratchet by its complementary latch 66, with the other pawl being allowed to engage the ratchet on its wheel. This will produce circular motion of the toy as one of wheels 22 intermittently rolls forward as the other wheel remains stationary.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the disclosed construction may be used in a variety of modifications each providing a number of different types of motion at the option of the rider.

If it is deemed necessary or desirable, appropriate stop mens may be affixed in known manner to front and rear portions of seat 10 to limit the amount of rotational movement of the seat by contacting the underlying supporting surface.

What is claimed is:

I. A childs riding toy comprising:

a. a seat portion disposed to support a rider;

b. a pair of coaxial wheels of equal diameter;

c. support means connecting said seat to said wheels for relative rotational movement therebetween; and

d. said seat, wheels and support means being relatively arranged so that a rider on said seat has a center of gravity higher than the axis of said wheels, whereby shifting the riders body forward and backward produces rotation of said seat; and

e. ratchet means connected between said support means and said wheels to transmit rotation of said seat in one direction through said support means to said wheels while allowing rotation of said seat and support means relative to said wheels in the opposite direction.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said wheels each have a central opening providing an internal periphery upon which said connecting means are supported.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said connecting means comprise a pair of arcuate supports having portions concentric with said inner peripheries and fixedly attached to said seat portion.

4. The invention according to claim 3 and further including bearing means disposed between said inner peripheries and said portions of said arcuate supports to provide rolling contact therebetween.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said ratchet means comprise a series of teeth fixedly associated with each of said wheels and a pivotally mounted pawl associated with each of said arcuate supports.

6. The invention according to claim I wherein said seat is at a vertical height not exceeding the radius of said wheels.

7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said seat is supported above a horizontal member extending locking means are independently operable in association with either or both of said wheels.

10. The invention according to claim 9 and further including means for selectively rendering either of said ratchet means inoperative, whereby rotation of said seat is not transmitted to said wheels.

s a a: m k 

1. A childs riding toy comprising: a. a seat portion disposed to support a rider; b. a pair of coaxial wheels of equal diameter; c. support means connecting said seat to said wheels for relative rotational movement therebetween; and d. said seat, wheels and support means being relatively arranged so that a rider on said seat has a center of gravity higher than the axis of said wheels, whereby shifting the rider''s body forward and backward produces rotation of said seat; and e. ratchet means connected between said support means and said wheels to transmit rotation of said seat in one direction through said support means to said wheels while allowing rotation of said seat and support means relative to said wheels in the opposite direction.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said wheels each have a central opening providing an internal periphery upon which said connecting means are supported.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said connecting means comprise a pair of arcuate supports having portions concentric with said inner peripheries and fixedly attached to said seat portion.
 4. The invention according to claim 3 and further including bearing means disposed between said inner peripheries and said portions of said arcuate supports to provide rolling contact therebetween.
 5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said ratchet means comprise a series of teeth fixedly associated with each of said wheels and a pivotally mounted pawl associated with each of said arcuate supports.
 6. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said seat is at a vertical height not exceeding the radius of said wheels.
 7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said seat is supported above a horizontal member extending transversely between said wheels and positioned to serve as a foot support for a rider mounted on said seat.
 8. The invention according to claim 1 and further including means for selectively locking said ratchet means, whereby rotation of said seat in both directions is transmitted to said wheels.
 9. The invention according to claim 8 wherein said locking means are independently operable in association with either or both of said wheels.
 10. The invention according to claim 9 and further including means for selectively rendering either of said ratchet means inoperative, whereby rotation of said seat is not transmitted to said wheels. 